Solenoid fluid valves are used to control the flow of liquids for various applications. A fluid is a substance that continually deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids. With the advent of microcontrollers and small single board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi and the like, the number of possible applications and uses for solenoid fluid valves is constantly increasing. However, existing solenoid valves have voltage and current requirements which exclude them from being used in certain applications. Existing low voltage solenoid valves are typically rated 12 or 24 volts DC, which cannot be directly connected to a microcontroller. A typical solenoid valve normally requires higher voltage relative to a microcontroller (typically 1.8 to 5.5 volts DC) and is typically activated using electronic components such as a transistor, FET amplifier, or a relay to apply the amount of voltage. This high voltage requirement is typically caused from the usage of springs internally to create a “normally closed” or “normally open” valve. The energy required to overcome the spring strength requires higher voltage, more energy and more electromagnetic material in order to activate the solenoid. Unfortunately, this voltage and current requirement results in the need for additional components in order to enable existing solenoid valves to be used in applications having microcontrollers, small single board computers, and the like.
Therefore, a need exists for novel fluid control valves. There is a further need for novel fluid control valves which have reduced voltage and current requirements. Finally, there exists a need for novel fluid control valves that do not require additional electronic components, such as a transistor, FET amplifier, or a relay, in order to operate.